: : : : 1) hold out. It depends on how the phrase is used. It could mean wait or delay action on something to gain an advantage, etc. "She wanted to buy a new car but decided to hold out until she can afford a really nice one." Or, literally: "Hold out your hand and I'll give you candy."

: : : : 2) followed up. Took additional action after an event - gathered more information, checked to see if something was being done properly, etc.

: : : : 3) flanking out. See "flank" at http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary "Flank" is "the right or left of a formation.

: : : I've never seen the phrasal verb "flank out" and honestly can't come up with any meaningful sentence in which it might be used. I wonder if the question-setter meant "outflank", which literally means "to get round the side of", or figuratively "to best".

: : Or maybe it was a typo for "flunking out"--failing academically, with expulsion from school as a result.

: I thought maybe "flanking out" mean spreading out.

Flaking out is to go crazy or to lose one's cool. Maybe it's that, though perhaps flaking out is a little slangy.